Dado (architecture)

Decorative treatment

This area is given a decorative treatment different from that for the upper part of the wall; for example panelling, wainscoting or lincrusta. The purpose of the dado treatment to a wall is both aesthetic and functional. Historically, the panelling below the dado rail was installed to cover the lower part of the wall which was subject to stains associated with rising damp; additionally it provided protection from furniture and passing traffic. The dado rail itself is sometimes referred to as a chair rail, though this can be misleading since its function is principally aesthetic and not to protect the wall from chair backs.

Derivation

The name was first used in English as an architectural term for the part of a pedestal between the base and the cornice. As with many other architectural terms, the word is Italian in origin. The dado in a pedestal is roughly cubical in shape, and the word in Italian means "dice" or "cube" (ultimately Latin datum, meaning "something given", hence also a die for casting lots). By extension, the dado becomes the lower part of a wall when the pedestal is treated as being continuous along the wall, with the cornice becoming the dado rail.

Gallery

File:Spring Hall Halifax 029.jpg|Dado in carved oak, designed by W. S. Barber at Spring Hall, Halifax File:Château de Maisons-Laffitte - cabinet aux miroirs 05.JPG|Dado in the French chateau of Maisons-Laffitte File:TajDado.jpg|Dado in Taj Mahal File:Leeds Central Library 21 February 2019 (208).JPG|Dado in Leeds Central Library

References

References

1. "Dado - definition".
2. "Dado". Lexico.
3. Chitham, Robert. (2007). "The Classical Orders of Architecture". Routledge.
4. Skeat, Walter W.. (15 February 2013). "An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language". Courier Corporation.